Module 7:

Responsible use of equipment and materials

7.3 Carrying out a risk assessment

7.3.5 Risk assessment Steps 4 and 5

1 Step 4: Record your findings

Document your findings, in writing, so that others, especially managers and operatives, can see what needs to be done to maintain a safe working environment. A method statement will also help to explains the practical importance of applying a risk assessment.

Safe Work Method Statement

A detailed step by step guide which can either be considered the same as a Safe Working Practice document, or it can be considered as a component part of the safe working practice document by focusing on one particular feature of the identified activity.

An example might be a safe working practice for the use of a pedestrian rotary mower, which contains several features (or sub-headings), including, pre-start checks; site inspection prior to starting work; working on a slope; dealing with mower blockages; and many more sub-headings. The safe work method statement might then be the entire document (also called a safe working practice, along with numerous other names), or it might be considered just one of the sub-heading features, for example, that of the pre-start checks. Prior to discussing, requesting or writing a safe work method statement it is important to clarify the context in which the term is being used.

2 Step 5: Review the risk assessment

Safety controls should be routinely monitored to ensure they are as effective as expected from the risk assessment. Plan a formal review to check relevance (which might be at least yearly), and also when new hazards arise, for example from the use of new equipment or a change of working practices.

This can all sound quite daunting when first attempting to carry out a risk assessment, especially when the person who is to carry out the assessment needs to be competent, as stated by Regulation 7 (1) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

Now we will have a quick look at what is meant by a competent person, but before we do have a go at answering this question.

Which one of the following people would most likely be classed as the most competent for carrying out a risk assessment?

Module progress: 75%

7 | 7.1 | 7.2 | 7.3 | 7.4 | 7.5